Interactive sitting system

ABSTRACT

The present invention introduces an interactive sitting system that measures and analyzes the forces exerted on a human body during contact with other objects such as a seat to provide a feedback for the user to assess the risk of such forces on the spine and the skin to avoid complications of abnormal or prolonged sitting.

BACKGROUND

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), back pain is thesecond most common neurological ailment in the United States. Americansspend at least $50 billion each year on low back pain and itscomplications. It is the most common cause of job-related disability anda leading contributor to missed work. Prolonged sitting is a significantcause of skin breakdown, decubitus ulcers and spine deformities inwheelchair bound patients.

SUMMARY

The present invention introduces a sensitive pad that can be placed onany seat to measure the dynamic forces exerted on different parts of theback and buttocks during sitting to generate a user's personal reportdescribing his/her habits during prolonged sitting that might createspine or skin problems. The sensitive pad is a portable device that canalso be used during driving a car, sitting at work/home, or using awheelchair giving an immediate feedback that helps the user to improvehis/her sitting habits.

The sensitive pad can be programmed to suit everyone's circumstancessuch as age, medical condition, or the activity that is performed duringsitting. It also helps the user to evaluate the seat s/he is using andits compatibility with his/her back. Generally, the sensitive pad is animportant device for computer users, young students, car drivers, anddesigners. It is an important tool for spine physicians, pain managementdoctors, chiropractors and physical therapists to help diagnose andtreat their back pain patients.

The sensitive pad is of particular importance for disabled people suchas paraplegic, elderly, and wheelchair users who lack skin sensation ormental alertness to help them avoid skin breakdown and ulcers. Anotherimportant use of the sensitive pad is to detect insurance fraud in backpain malingering. Moreover, the sensitive pad can accurately record ingreat details the sequence of forces exerted on the user's back duringmotor vehicle accidents which enable physicians to better diagnose andtreat spine injuries.

In summary, the sensitive pad is a powerful technology that assistsphysicians to diagnose and treat low back pain. It helps individualusers to avoid complications of prolonged sitting and maintain healthyback and skin. It enables chairs industry to create healthy parametersand standards for chair design and manufacturing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the main components of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an example for the detection unit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an example for the interior components of the detection unit.

FIG. 4 is an example of the input unit of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another example of the input unit of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an example for the output unit of the present invention in aform of a digital report.

FIG. 7 is a number of sensors positioned on a sensitive pad.

FIG. 8 is another example for the output unit of the present inventionin a form of a 3D simulation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention introduces an interactive sitting system thatmeasures and analyzes the forces exerted on a body during its contactwith other object to provide a certain feedback for the user. Asillustrated in FIG. 1 said interactive sitting system is comprised of; adetection unit, an input unit, a processing unit, and output unit.

The detection unit senses, collects, and generate initial signalsrepresenting the amount, durations, and directions of said forcesexerted on said body, where said detection unit can be placed betweensaid body and said other object.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a detection unit in a form of asensitive pad 110 that look like a seat cushion to be placed on any seatto be located between the user and the seat. The sensitive pad iscomprised of a plurality of sensors that are placed along the sensitivepad to detect the position, amount, duration, and direction of thecompression forces and the shear forces that are exerted on thesensitive pad. Said exerted forces will be influenced by the user's bodycharacters, the user activity during sitting, and the seatspecifications.

FIG. 3 illustrated the interior components of the sensitive pad where asshown in the figure the sensitive pad is comprised of a top layer 120 ofprotective sheet, a bottom layer 130 of protective sheet, and a middlelayer which is comprised of a first sheet of sensors 140 and a secondsheet of sensors 150. The first sheet of sensors is located on the seatarea of the seat, while the second sheet of sensors is located on theback rest area of the seat.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an input unit in a form of a selectionmenu that appears on the computer display comprising of three part, thefirst part 160 presents the user's characters, the second part presentsthe user activity, and the third part presents the seat specifications.The user's characters can include the user's age, weight, height, bodymass index, medical condition, and the like. The user activity caninclude many alternatives such as using the computer, driving a car,performing office work, wheelchair bound, or the like. The chairspecifications can include the chair cushion material, stiffness,height, inclination, arm chair height, or the like.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of the input unit in a form of aselection mode where the user can select one of them. As shown in thefigure the selection mode is comprised of a number of different modes190 that each one of them has a unique name where a press button 200 islocated beside each unique name to be pressed by the user's finger toactivate the selected mode. Each mode represents a unique type of usersthat have different body characters. For example, mode “A” represents acategory of body weight range form 40 to 80, mode “B” represents acategory of body weight range form 81 to 120, mode “C” represents acategory of body weight range form 121 to 180, mode “D” represents acategory of body weight range form 181 to 220, and mode “A” represents acategory of body weight range above 220.

The processing unit can be a microprocessor that can be located insidethe sensitive pad of FIG. 2. The processing unit performs specificanalysis based on an assessment program that can be provided by themanufacture of the present invention. Analyzing the data of thedetection unit and the input unit enables providing the output unit withthe result of this analysis.

The output unit can be audio system that provides the user with a voiceor sound representing certain information. It can be also a visualsystem that provides the user with visual signs representing certaininformation. It can be a sensory system that provides the user withvibratory responses or movement representing certain information. It canalso provide an electrical signal that can be interpreted into amechanical adjustment for power chairs.

The output unit can be a digital display that provides the user withdigital information or graphical illustrations. For example, FIG. 6illustrates an example of a digital report comprised of; a zoningrepresentation for the seat pad 220 divided into four zones A, B, C, andD, a zoning representation for the back pad 230 divided into six zonesE, F, G, H, I, and J, a first table 240 indicating the amount andduration of the compression forces that are exerted on the differentzones, a second table indicating the amount, duration, and direction ofthe shear force that are exerted on the different zones, and a thirdtable indicating the risk analysis that may indicate numeral values,colors, or the like representing said risk analysis.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an output unit in a form of a displaypresenting a graphical illustration such as a 3D simulation showing themovement of the user of the present invention 260 while sitting on theseat 270 where a first sensitive pad 280 is placed between the user'sbuttocks and the seat, and a second sensitive pad 290 is placed betweenthe user's back and the back rest of the seat. The horizontal line 300represents the floor that supports the seat.

The main advantages of the present invention is utilizing an existinghardware technology that is simple and straightforward which easily andinexpensively carry out the present interactive sitting system as willbe described subsequently.

For example, the sensitive pad is comprised of a plurality of sensorsthat detect the force exerted from the user on the seat. Said sensorscan be force sensors that are commercially available in the market suchas the flexible sensors or the digital sensors. The capacitive sensorscan be used instead of the force sensors to detect the compression forceand its duration and positions on the sensitive pad. Also thephotocromic sensors that change due to the pressure or the user'stemperature can be also used instead of the force sensors. The pressuresensors can be a plurality of chambers that are attached to each otherand filled with gas or liquid to sense the pressure in each chamber.

It is important to note that the seat area and the back area of thesensitive pad are divided into a number of zones as shown in FIG. 6.Each one of these number of zones includes a plurality of sensors thatcollect the data of the force exerted on this specific zone. The zonesof FIG. 6 are just example of a variety of different zones that candivide the sensitive pad according to the application need. FIG. 7illustrates an example of positioning a number of sensors along thesensitive pad.

The input unit can be a detailed selection menu FIG. 4 or just a limitedpreset selection mode program such as illustrated in FIG. 5. However,the selection menu can include other more information related to theuser characters, user activity, and seat specifications, in addition to,other fields such as ambient temperature, floor leveling, or the like.

The microprocessor can be a computer system that is connected to thepresent invention by a wired or wireless connection. The presentinvention can also utilize the computer system of a mobile phone toreceive, display, and/or send information from and to the sensitive pad.Sending information to the sensitive pad enables modifying theassessment program wirelessly in case of having specific changes such asthe medical condition of the user.

The system program can provide the user with useful information orinstructions related to his/her sitting. That can be happened if theuser exceeded a certain duration or force on the sensors of a specificzone, or the total area of the sensitive pad. Also if the zones of theback area remained with no forces for a specific period of time thatmeans the user does not support his/her back on the back rest of theseat.

The output unit can be audible information in a form of voice or sound.It can be a visual output in a form of light, colors, or the like. Itcan also be sensory output such vibrations, pressures, or the like. Itcan be electrical signals that can be interpreted into a mechanicalmovement for power chairs. It can be a digital display that presentsdigital information, graphs, pictures, 3D models, animation, or thelike.

1. An interactive sitting system that measures and analyzes the forcesexerted on a body during its contact with other object to provide acertain feedback for the user whereas said interactive sitting system iscomprised of: a detection unit that senses, collects, and generateinitial signals representing the amount, durations, and directions ofsaid forces exerted on said body, where said detection unit can bebetween said body and said other object; input unit that receivesspecific data related to the characters of said body, specifications ofsaid other object, or the like, and generates data representing saidspecific data and said specifications; an processing unit that analyzessaid initial signals and said data according to an assessment program togenerate an ultimate signals representing certain information, orinstructions; and an output unit that receives and convert said ultimatesignals into said certain feedback.
 2. The interactive sitting system ofclaim 1 wherein said detection unit is comprised of one or more forcesensors that can detect the compression forces and the shear forces thatare exerted between said body and said other object.
 3. The interactivesitting system of claim 1 wherein said detection unit is a capacitivesensor that can detect the compression force that are exerted betweensaid body and said other object.
 4. The interactive sitting system ofclaim 1 wherein said detection unit is a photocromic sensor that candetect the compression force that are exerted between said body and saidother object based on the changing colors due to change in pressure ortemperature.
 5. The interactive sitting system of claim 1 wherein saidspecific data includes information describing said body characters suchas gender, age, weight, height, body mass index, apparent deformities,medical diagnoses, ambient temperature or the like.
 6. The interactivesitting system of claim 1 wherein said specific data include informationdescribing said other object such as material, dimensions, stiffness,inclination, or the like.
 7. The interactive sitting system of claim 1wherein said specific data include the activity that the user performingduring sitting.
 8. The interactive sitting system of claim 1 whereinsaid input unit is a selection menu in a graphical user interface thatappears on the computer display to present a plurality of alternativesto select of them.
 9. The interactive sitting system of claim 1 whereinsaid input unit is a selection modes where the user can select one ofthem.
 10. The interactive sitting system of claim 1 wherein saidprocessing unit is a microprocessor.
 11. The interactive sitting systemof claim 1 wherein said processing unit is a computer system.
 12. Theinteractive sitting system of claim 1 wherein said assessment programinclude certain algorithm, equations, formulas, rules, steps,regulations, or the like that analyzes said initial signals and saiddata for evaluation purpose.
 13. The interactive sitting system of claim1 wherein said output unit provides audio output, visual output, sensoryoutput, or the like.
 14. The interactive sitting system of claim 1wherein said output unit is a display that provides digital information.15. The interactive sitting system of claim 1 wherein said output unitis a display that provides graphical presentation such as drawings, 3Dmodels, animation, or the like.
 16. The interactive sitting system ofclaim 1 wherein said output unit is an electrical signal that isinterpreted into mechanical movement.